Surgical instrument.



L. LIEBERKNEUHT.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1912.

1,066;025. I Patented July 1, 1913.

WWI/1w 6W. 1

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNTTED STATES LUDWIG LIEBERKNECHT, 0F BERLIN, GERMANY.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG LIEBERKNEOHT, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. V

The present invention relates to surgical instruments, and more especially to implement-s for manipulating the clamps that are applied to incisions, and has for its object to provide means for holding and rapidly applying such clamps, and means for removing the clamps rapidly-without tearing the swollen edges of the incision.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are similarly designated Figure 1 is a perspective view of the implement and one of the clamps; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the implement and a clamp that has been straightened out thereby; Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modification; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the device in another position.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there are two cooperating members, or pivoted handles 9 and g pivoted together at s. The handles are urged apart by a spring 7' secured to one of them, for example g and engaging the other 9, as is customary in some pivoted implements. These handles or members are each provided at their ends beyond the pivot with clamp applying arms a and a respec tively, that cross one another at y and project substantially at rightangles to the members g and g. Each of these arms is provided at its end with ,a semicircular and preferably forked head, 70 70, respectively. The clamps are fiat metal strips having eyes 0 at their ends and prongs a; stamped out of sheet metal. The semicircular forked ends 7c, is form seats for the eyes 0, and the prongs :c are engaged by the forks as the arms come together and bend the clamp to proper shape during application to the edges of the incision, thus effectively preventing the clamp from slipping out of the arms. On its side opposite to the clamp applying arms a, a, each member is provided with a releasing arm, h, h, substantially parallel Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 27, 1912.

, Patented July 1,1913. SerialNo. 706,201.

to one another, and substantially perpendicular to the members 9 and g. One of these arms, 71., is provided with a guide plate 25 substantially perpendicular to it and carrying a point (Z whose upturned end is spaced from the plate 2. a distance sufiicient for the insertion of 'a clamp; in other words, this distance is about the thickness of said clamp. The other arm, h is also provided with an upturned point d which, when the arms h and h are closed together overlaps the point d, Fig. 1, to form a conical, two-part separable point.

To remove the clamp 70 the arms h, h are closed to cause (1 to overlap d, and this two-part point is then hooked under the edge of a clamp. The clamp then lies be" tween the point (Z, d and the guide plate t. The members 9 g are then closed to separate the points (Z cl to straighten out the clamp along the plate 2? and to disengage the prongs w from the flesh. The eyes 0 limit the movement of d d and when the points (Z, d have reached said eyes 0 the prongs 00 will have been withdrawn, following substantially the same path of movement as when being inserted, but in the reverse direction, thereby preventing the flesh from being torn, and excessive bleeding of the swollen incision edges.

In Figs. 3 and 4t I have illustrated the two members 9 and g in sliding relation, the one 9 sliding in the tubular member 9 The tubular member g is also provided with an applying arm a terminating in a semicircular fork ]0 and parallel. to and cooperating with the arm a for applying the clamp. As here shown, the guide plate 25 is secured to the arm a preferably in one piece with it. The tubular member has secured to it a leaf spring 1' having a pin r that lies in the path of arm a and limits the closing of the arms a and a By lifting the end of the spring r the pin 0 may be withdrawn from the path of a to permit a to move against a thereby causing the half point (i to travel parallel and opposite to plate It for removing a clamp in the manner described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim 1. A. surgical instrument comprising oppositely movable members, a guide plate carried by one of said members and provided with a point having its end portion parallel to the plate and extending transversely to its direction of movement, and a point on the other movable member extending in a direction parallel to the end portion of the first point.

2. The combination With oppositely movable members, of an arm projecting from each member substantially at right angles thereto, a guide plate on one of said arms having a point thereon Whose end is slightly distanced from the plate, and a second point carried by the other of said arms arranged to be positioned adjacent the first mentioned point and to be moved along the plate.

The combination with pivoted members, of an arm perpendicular to each member, a guide plate on one of said arms having an upturned point thereon substantially parallel with the plate and an upturned point on the other arm arranged to be positioned adjacent the first mentioned point When the. arms are 1n uxtapos1t10n, said point piovlng 23 In testimony that I claim the foregoing 25 as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscrlbmg wltnesses.

LUDWIG LIEBERKNECHT.

Witnesses HENRY HASPER, W'OLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

